Because of all you Jeopardy! dopers I know look for clues every time I watch that one of the contestants could be a doper.
Add me on to your list–Sept. 1989. 0 wins, 3rd place (first going into FJ, booted the question). Lost to Bob Brown (winner of 1991 Super Jeopardy tournament).
I know spouses probably don’t count in the official list, but ElzaHub was a Jeopardy contestant back in 1993 in the teen tournament. Took second place (and won a computer).
E.
I finished third the last time I was on. Winning twice goes a long way toward taking the sting out of that, however.
Well, I live in LA not far from the studios. I have a couch that a jeopardy doper could crash on. 
This is true EXCEPT if this happens: you are a champion on a Thursday before one of the special Jeopardy! tourneys (kids, teen, etc.). If so Sony will fly you out from wherever you are, their treat, for the next eligible date. They did this for me when I was the final champ on the Thursday before the kids’ tourney. 'Course I had horrific food poisoning, so I certainly welcomed the time away, but I also lost a sec or so on my buzzer speed. I’m convinced if I had come back the next day I would have done quite well.
In actuality, I was my own worst enemy on day 2. I answered two questions wrong, pronunciation-wise: Senator Joe McCarty instead of McCarthy, and Bosnia-Herzegovinia instead of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Thought the last one was nit-picking, but that’s how the cookie crumbles, I suppose…
Spend some time thinking through betting strategy. Day 1, I had done well enough to win without worrying a whole lot, but day 2 I was in second place, felt I would be pretty good on Final Jeopardy!, and bet everything. I should have bet nothing - the guy in first place was nervous and got it wrong, but bet quite a bit to distance himself from me… I would have won easily with no bet or a small one!
With the apppearance this week of our latest Doper, Labdad, I’m happy to update the list:
Doper Year wins place amount notes
5 time champ 2001 5 $50,703
annieclaus 1967 0 2nd
Blanx 2001 0 2nd
Captain Lance Murdoch 1997 2
Colibri 1974
Commasense 1991 1 2nd $7,201
ElvisL1ves 1996 0 2nd
Hippy Hollow 2003 1 2nd $16,500
h.sapiens 1994 5 $62,000 semi-finals of tournament
Hooleehootoo 1999 0 3rd
jsc1953 1988 0 3rd
KayElCee 1993 0 2nd
Labdad 2006 0 2nd
Mama Tiger 1994 0 3rd lost to a five-time champ
Mr. Moto 2000 0 2nd
Nice Pete 2004 1 2nd $31,100
Richardb 1984
The Man Who 2003 1 $50,000 Myron Myers, in one show
Tracy Lord 2004 0 2nd $5,000 2 Teen Jeopardy! shows
Twickster 1994 3 2nd $46,000
Walloon 1997 1 2nd $4,100
Voyager 1997 0 2nd
Welcome to one of the most exclusive clubs in the world!
Would any of the members of the list possibly be willing to find the game they appeared on on j-archive.com and provide a link (if it’s available)? That might be of interest.
I had never heard of j-archive.com until last night. My 1991 games are not listed. I have the shows on videotape and could easily add the details to the site, but after searching for quite some time I couldn’t find any way to add a show to the archive. You can correct individual clues in an existing show, but I didn’t see how to add a complete show.
Can anyone more familiar with the site help me with that?
The guy who runs the archives, Robert, is who you contact to send a tape of your show to. I used to know how to contact him but apparently deleted his email at some point in a fit of stupidity. I’ll contact him the Jeopardy forum and come back later with an answer if someone else doesn’t beat me to the punch. I need to send him my tape, too.
A few months ago, I finally got around to transcribing my two 1991 shows and sent the transcript and a DVD of the shows to the j-archive.com site. I just noticed earlier this week that they’re up.
Here’s my first game. (There’s no need to see my humiliation in game 2.)
Like Rodgers01, I’d be interested in seeing other Dopers’ games.
BTW, I recently read Prisoner of Trebekistan by former champ Bob Harris, and can highly recommend it. It’s a great resource for anyone thinking about going on the show (I really wish I’d had it before I went on), but it’s so much more than that. It’s actually an interesting work of philosophy as well as a rather touching biography. And it’s very funny. I enjoyed it more, on many levels, than most other books I’ve recently.
I’m also reading Ken Jennings’ Brainiac, which is fun, but a very different book. It’s part history of trivia and part account of Ken’s experiences on the show. Not bad at all, but not quite as good as Harris’ book, IMHO.
I appeared on the show September of 1989. Led after DJ, but booted the FJ question and finished 3rd. Didn’t feel too bad, though; lost to Bob Brown, one of the all-time great Jeopardy champions in the pre-Jennings era.
My 3rd place prize was a desk; didn’t even bother claiming it because it wouldn’t have fit in the tiny apartment I was living in.
I only wish they’d let you have another chance after, say, 10 or 15 years.
Thanks, want2know. Here’s the updated list:
Doper Year wins place amount notes
5 time champ 2001 5 $50,703
annieclaus 1967 0 2nd
Blanx 2001 0 2nd
Captain Lance Murdoch 1997 2
Colibri 1974
Commasense 1991 1 2nd $7,201
ElvisL1ves 1996 0 2nd
Hippy Hollow 2003 1 2nd $16,500
h.sapiens 1994 5 $62,000 semi-finals of tournament
Hooleehootoo 1999 0 3rd
jsc1953 1988 0 3rd
KayElCee 1993 0 2nd
Labdad 2006 0 2nd
Mama Tiger 1994 0 3rd lost to a five-time champ
Mr. Moto 2000 0 2nd
Nice Pete 2004 1 2nd $31,100
Richardb 1984
The Man Who 2003 1 $50,000 Myron Myers, in one show
Tracy Lord 2004 0 2nd $5,000 2 Teen Jeopardy! shows
Twickster 1994 3 2nd $46,000
Walloon 1997 1 2nd $4,100
want2know 1989 0 3rd
Voyager 1997 0 2nd
I won a stove, which (since I rented an apartment) was completely impractical. I was able to donate it to charity, fortunately.
I was so bummed that we’re not eligible for the online test. I don’t remember anyone saying at the time that we could never come back…
In Ken Jennings’ book he mentions recording “Hometown Howdies” for his local affiliate to run before his first appearance. Did anyone else do this?
They didn’t do it for me in 1991. Is it something new, or does it depend on the affiliate asking for it? I heard nothing from my local stations (in Baltimore or Washington) when I was on the show, but there are lots of contestants from the DC area, so maybe they don’t bother. Maybe it’s only smaller towns that make a big deal about a Jeopardy! contestant.
I’m interested to hear how the Hometown Howdies thing works, if anyone knows about it.
I did it – AFAIK, they never ran them. They just had us say “Hi, I’m [realname] from Philly, and I’m gonna be on Jeopardy! tonight!” – a 10-second promo the local channel could run or not. They did one with everyone who competed during the tapings I saw (seven total, including my four games).
Here’s the latest update, adding 5-4-fighting.
Doper Year wins place amount notes
1. 5-4-fighting 2000 0 3rd
2. 5 time champ 2001 5 $50,703
3. annieclaus 1967 0 2nd
4. Blanx 2001 0 2nd
5. Captain Lance Murdoch 1997 2
6. Colibri 1974
7. Commasense 1991 1 2nd $7,201
8. ElvisL1ves 1996 0 2nd
9. Hippy Hollow 2003 1 2nd $16,500
10. h.sapiens 1994 5 $62,000 semi-finals of tournament
11. Hooleehootoo 1999 0 3rd
12. jsc1953 1988 0 3rd
13. KayElCee 1993 0 2nd
14. Labdad 2006 0 2nd
15. Mama Tiger 1994 0 3rd lost to a five-time champ
16. Mr. Moto 2000 0 2nd
17. Nice Pete 2004 1 2nd $31,100
18. Richardb 1984
19. The Man Who 2003 1 $50,000 Myron Myers, in one show
20. Tracy Lord 2004 0 2nd $5,000 2 Teen Jeopardy! shows
21. Twickster 1994 3 2nd $46,000
22. Walloon 1997 1 2nd $4,100
23. want2know 1989 0 3rd
24. Voyager 1997 0 2nd
If you’ve been on Jeopardy! and aren’t on this list, please let me know.
Adding our latest contestant: BethCro.
Doper Year wins place amount notes
1. 5-4-fighting 2000 0 3rd
2. 5 time champ 2001 5 $50,703
3. annieclaus 1967 0 2nd
4 BethCro 2009 0 3rd $100
5. Blanx 2001 0 2nd
6. Captain Lance Murdoch 1997 2
7. Colibri 1974
8. Commasense 1991 1 2nd $7,201
9. ElvisL1ves 1996 0 2nd
10. Hippy Hollow 2003 1 2nd $16,500
11. h.sapiens 1994 5 $62,000 semi-finals of tournament
12. Hooleehootoo 1999 0 3rd
13. jsc1953 1988 0 3rd
14. KayElCee 1993 0 2nd
15. Labdad 2006 0 2nd
16. Mama Tiger 1994 0 3rd lost to a five-time champ
17. Mr. Moto 2000 0 2nd
18. Nice Pete 2004 1 2nd $31,100
19. Richardb 1984
20. The Man Who 2003 1 $50,000 Myron Myers, in one show
21. Tracy Lord 2004 0 2nd $5,000 2 Teen Jeopardy! shows
22. Twickster 1994 3 2nd $46,000
23. Walloon 1997 1 2nd $4,100
24. want2know 1989 0 3rd
25. Voyager 1997 0 2nd
Is there anyone I’ve missed?
The real Ken Jennings would know how to use apostrophes.
Two wins, 1995, $30K.